Carpet layer&#39;s movable support



April 4, 1967 I -/ZZ FIG. 5

J. W. DIRKSEN CARPET LAYER'S MOVABLE SUPPORT Filed July 21, 1965 INVENTOR. J'oH/v MI. Due/(sew MQW United States" Patent Ofihcc 3,3 12,477 Patented Apr. 4, 1967 3,312,477 CARPET LAYERS MOVABLE SUPPORT John W. Dirksen, Bellflower, Calif. (18906 Elaine St., Artesia, Calif. 90701) Filed July 21, 1965, Ser. No. 473,774 Claims. (Cl. 280-325) The present invention relates generally to the field of transportations and more particularly to a movable support that may be advantageously used by a person laying carpet stripping adjacent a wall surface.

Carpeting, as is well known, is held in place by being affixed to stripping that is laid on the floor adjacent the walls defining a room. The laying of such stripping in the past has necessitated the carpet layer being in contact with the floor surface, which in the case of the floor being formed from concrete is disagreeable due to the hard surface thereof, and the further fact that the concrete may be cold and damp to the touch.

A major object of the present invention is to movably support a carpet layer in a sufiiciently low sitting position as to affix stripping to a floor, and to move over the floor to any desired location thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide an accessory for a carpet layer that permits him to move easily over a floor surface when but a few inches thereabove, and the accessory being so removably affixed to the carpet layer that he can stand and walk about with the accessory remaining afiixed to him with little or no inconvenience.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an accessory for a carpet layer that will materially speed up the laying of stripping, and one that has such a simple structure that it can be manufactured at a relatively low cost, and retailed at a reasonable price to persons having a need for such a device.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an accessory for carpet layers that has a simple mechanical structure, can be fabricated from standard commercially available materials, and one that requires little or no maintenance attention.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred form thereof, and from the drawings illustrating the same, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the device;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the device, taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse cross sectional view of the device, taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a combined top plan view and horizontal cross sectional View of the device, taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross sectional view of the device, taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross sectional view of the device, taken within the circle shown in phantom line in FIGURE 2 identified by the numeral 6.

Referring now to the drawings for the general arrangement of the invention, it will be seen to include a con toured seat A that has three straps 10, 12 and 14 extending outwardly from adjacently disposed quadrant points thereon. The inner ends of the straps 10, 12 and 14 are afiixed to the seat A by screws B or other suitable fastening means, as can best be seen in FIGURE 6. The upper ends of the straps 10, 12 and 14 are aflixed by rivets 16 to a belt C that is of such length as to extend around the waist of the user (not shown). The belt C has a buckle 18 or other suitable fastening means mounted on one end thereof, which buckle can engage openings 20 formed on the opposite end of the belt.

Three downwardly and inwardly extending rigid legs 22, 24 and 26 are provided that have the upper ends thereof secured to the seat A by engaging the screws B. The straps 10, 12 and 14, and the legs 22, 24 and 26 are held in fixed. positions on the screws B by the downwardly extending ends of the screws being engaged by nuts 28, as shown in FIGURE 6. The inner ends of the legs 22, 24 and 26 merge into a plate 30, that has a bore 32 extending therethrough, best seen in FIGURE 5. A tubular sleeve 34 is secured to the plate 30, and with a bore 36 of the sleeve being in coaxial alignment with the bore 32.

The sleeve 34 has a transverse opening 38 therein that is aligned with a nut 40 that is secured to the exterior surface of the tubular sleeve 34, as shown in FIGURE 5. A threaded rod 42 engages nut 40. The rod 42 can be rotated by a head 44 mounted on the outer portion thereof. By tightening and loosening the threaded rod 42, the seat A and legs 26 can be longitudinally adjusted to a desired elevation on an upright 46. The upright 46 is, by a welding head 48 or other fastening means, secured to four tubular members 50 disposed at right angles to one another, as shown in FIGURE 4. The members 50 are held in this position to define a cross by welding beads 52, or other suitable fastening means. Each of the members 50 is preferably of square transverse cross section.

Each of the members 50, as can best be seen in FIG- URES 1 to 4 inclusive, includes two vertically aligned openings that receive the upper portion 54 of casters D. Each of the casters D includes a rotatably supported member 56 that is not only adapted to roll on a floor surface, but can pivot relative to the portion 54. The casters D and the members 50 together with the upright 46, cooperate to provide a movable base for the support of the seat A and the legs 22, 24 and 26. By loosening the threaded rod 42, the sleeve 34 may be moved upwardly or downwardly to a desired position on the upright 46, and this desired position being chosen to dispose the seat A at an elevation above the floor (not shown), on which the device rests for optimum comfort of the user.

After the seat A has been adjusted to a desired elevation relative to the upright 46, the threaded rod 42 is rotated by the head 44 in a direction to pressure contact the upright 46 and hold the seat A at the elevation-above the floor surface which the user of the device desires. Also, by loosening the threaded rod 42, the members 50 can be disposed at desired circumferential positions relative to the forward portion 58 of seat A. After the members 50 have been so disposed, the threaded rod 42 is rotated by the head 44 to pressure contact the upright 46, and prevent the members 50 pivoting relatively thereto.

The use and operation of the invention is extremely simple. The belt C is extended around the waist of the user (not shown) and held in that position by the buckle 18 engaging one of the openings 20. The device is now in a position to support the user (not shown) at a ,desired elevation above a floor surface (not shown) when the user sits on the seat A. The user can now move about the floor to any desired position thereon to aflix stripping to the floor surface or other tasks that a carpet layer may be required to perform, when in this position. Should the carpet layer wearing the device, find it necessary to arise and walk in a conventional manner, the accessory above described will remain in position when the carpet layer is so walking, and will provide little or no inconvenience to him in so doing.

Although the present invention is fully capable of achieving the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore mentioned, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment thereof and I do not mean to be limited to the details of construction herein shown and described, other than as defined in the appended claims.

v 3 I claim:' 1. A- device capable of being worn by a carpet layer for movably supporting him in a sufliciently low sitting position that he can afiix carpet stripping to a floor surface, saiddevice including:

(a) a-base;.

(b) first means for movably supporting said base on a floor surface;

(c) an upright affixed to said base;

(d) a sleeve slidably mounted on said upright;

(e) second means for holding said sleeve at a desired elevation of said upright;

(f) a plurality of spaced legs that extend outwardly from the upper end of said sleeve;

(g) a contoured seat supported by said legs;

(h) a plurality of circumferentially spaced straps that have first endszthereof afiixed to outer edge portions of said seat; and

(i) a belt that has second end portions of said straps aflixed thereto, said belt of suflicient length to extend around the Waist of a user, and said belt holding said device in a' substantially fixed position relative to the user when'the user is in an upright position.

2'. A- device as defined in claim 1,=wherein said base is in the form'of a cross and formed from a plurality of tubular members;

3. A device .as defined in claim 2, wherein said' first means are casters affixed to said" tubular members, and

4 said casters each including rollers that can swivel through 360.

4. A device as defined in claim 2, wherein said second means includes:

(3') a nut afiixed to the exterior surface of said sleeve and coaxially aligned with an opening therein; (k) a threaded member that engages saidnut; and (l) a head on said threaded member for rotating the same, with said threaded member when rotated in a direction to bring the inner end thereof in pressure contact with said upright holding said seat at a desired elevation above said base.

5. 'A device as defined in claim" 4, wherein said upright and sleeve are of circular transverse cross section to permit said seat to be rotatably adjusted to a desired position relative said base.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 471,184 3/1892 Milner 248405 759,809 5/1904 Farley 2974 1,267,953 5/1918 Zolp 2974 2,476,258 7/ 1949 Lundquist 248188.91 X 3,086,741 4/1963 Oramer 248'188.7 3,245,720 4/ 1966 Wenger 248188.7

KENNETHH'. BE'ITS, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE CAPABLE OF BEING WORN BY A CARPET LAYER FOR MOVABLY SUPPORTING HIM IN A SUFFICIENTLY LOW SITTING POSITION THAT HE CAN AFFIX CARPET STRIPPING TO A FLOOR SURFACE, SAID DEVICE INCLUDING: (A) A BASE; (B) FIRST MEANS FOR MOVABLY SUPPORTING SAID BASE ON A FLOOR SURFACE; (C) AN UPRIGHT AFFIXED TO SAID BASE; (D) A SLEEVE SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID UPRIGHT; (E) SECOND MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID SLEEVE AT A DESIRED ELEVATION OF SAID UPRIGHT; (F) A PLURALITY OF SPACED LEGS THAT EXTEND OUTWARDLY FROM THE UPPER END OF SAID SLEEVE; (G) A CONTOURED SEAT SUPPORTED BY SAID LEGS; (H) A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED STRAPS THAT HAVE FIRST ENDS THEREOF AFFIXED TO OUTER EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID SEAT; AND (I) A BELT THAT HAS SECOND END PORTIONS OF SAID STRAPS AFFIXED THERETO, SAID BELT OF SUFFICIENT LENGTH TO EXTEND AROUND THE WAIST OF A USER, AND SAID BELT HOLDING SAID DEVICE IN A SUBSTANTIALLY FIXED POSITION RELATIVE TO THE USER WHEN THE USER IS IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION. 